Category Archives: Events & Internship Fairs

Many employers are seeking talent and want high quality candidates to employ in Indiana. Part of Indiana INTERNnet’s goal is to connect employers with talent to retain and develop Indiana’s workforce. Internships are becoming more relevant in today’s workforce and provide students with valuable experiences. Indiana INTERNnet connects employers with talent and connects students with internship opportunities.

Every year we recognize the hard work and contribution to communities by interns, employers, and various professionals with our IMPACT Awards Luncheon, and this year we had a record-breaking number of nominations! The 13th annual IMPACT Awards Luncheon was held on Tuesday, February 22. Individuals and companies were recognized in the following categories: Intern of the Year (College, High School, and Non-Traditional), Intern Supervisor of the Year, Career Development Professional of the Year, and Employer of the Year (For-Profit and Non-Profit).

We recognize these categories because they all contribute to internship excellence. Various types of …

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Indiana INTERNnet is hosting its first online internship fair through CareerEco on March 28! This is the prefect opportunity for employers to connect with students and hopefully fill their upcoming summer internships. And unlike a traditional face-to-face career fair, an online internship fair provides employers and students with much more convenience. Want to participate? Here’s the important details:

What times does the fair take place?

The online internship fair runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST. However, your company doesn’t have to attend the entire time. Employers can indicate a specific timeframe that they’ll be available. Students can see all the registered employers’ availability so they can determine when they’d like to attend the fair to meet with their top prospects.

What’s makes this fair different from a traditional career/internship fair?

Zero travel is involved! Attend via your computer or laptop whenever is convenient to you. Employers won’t …

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As students, plenty of you don’t want to go to your college career fair. I certainly didn’t. It takes away from valuable free time, you have to change into something other than sweatpants, and spend time awkwardly interacting with people. But it wasn’t until I started representing my organization at career fairs that I gained a new perspective. Career fairs are actually incredibly important.

My Career Fair Experience

I attended career fairs maybe two or three times during college, all during my freshman or sophomore year. The only times I ever went was when my professors made me go. They made us do assignments based on the career fair (writing about our interactions, collecting a certain number of business cards, etc.). I thought going was a massive waste of time when I had such a busy schedule.

I was wrong.

Now that I occupy a position where I represent my …

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It’s the end of September and career fair season is going strong. While I was in college, I unfortunately never attended a single fair, and I missed out on so many wonderful opportunities! Unlike applying online or through email, career fairs give you the opportunity to meet face-to-face with a wide variety of employers. You’re able to ask them plenty of questions about their company and internship/job openings while sharing information about yourself.

But now at Indiana INTERNnet, I get to go to so many career fairs throughout the state to let students know how we can help them find their next internship. Being on the other side of the table, I’ve learned a lot about what can help you stand out with recruiters. Here’s some tips:

Dress to impress…

If you’re going to a career fair, you should preferably dress in business professional attire, or business casual at the …

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Last Friday, the Indiana INTERNnet team joined over 50 interns at the Indiana State Fairgrounds for another summer intern engagement event.

Attendees played a round of trivia for a chance to win donated prizes – it was the perfect way to make sure everyone was wide awake and engaged. After buzzing in for questions about Indianapolis, Indiana and the State Fair, the interns were fired up and ready for the morning’s career development session.

Samantha Martin, assistant director of the Ball State University Career Center, was eager to take the floor and keep up the energy in the room. To start, she had participants split into groups for a unique networking game where everyone was asked to make a chain of facts that each of their internships had in common. The winning team took home “Fair Bucks” and Crew Car Wash coupons for connecting 66 facts into a story about …

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Indiana INTERNnet is now accepting nominations for the 13th annual IMPACT Awards, an annual celebration of internship excellence. We encourage you to complete the online nomination form and share how a person or organization has made an impact by committing to internship excellence. The deadline for nominations is October 31, 2018.

Have a question about the nominations process or awards luncheon? Check out the answers to our frequently asked IMPACT Awards questions. If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, contact INTERNnet@indianachamber.com.

What are the awards categories?

Intern of the Year (3) High School College Non-Traditional *High school and college interns must be enrolled in school during the time of their internship in 2018. The non-traditional category is for an intern who was not an enrolled student at the time of the internship or was 26 years old or older during the internship. Career Development Professional of the Year (1) *This individual must be a …

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More than 75 interns from companies in the Indianapolis area gathered at the historic Fountain Square Theatre building on June 1 to take advantage of Indy Intern Connect. Our second intern engagement event of the summer was a casual evening event, hosted by the Indy Chamber. Attendees had an opportunity to network with Indianapolis business leaders and fellow interns while enjoying free drinks, duckpin bowling and a view of the city skyline from the Rooftop Garden.

A welcoming host, longtime Fountain Square Theatre owner Linton Calvert, shared the story of the building with the crowd. Originally constructed in 1928, it has hosted many types of businesses and witnessed the surrounding neighborhood continuously change. It stands tall today after being restored by Calvert and is an Indianapolis landmark.

It was a truly fitting venue for the night, which was all about encouraging interns who are not native to Indianapolis to see …

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Interns and supervisors from around Indianapolis came together on May 31 for Intern Day at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. This event was the first of five summer intern engagement events hosted by Indiana INTERNnet in partnership with local organizations.

The event kicked off with a networking game, designed to get interns mingling. The objective? Get to know two new people from outside of each one’s organization and be entered to win tickets to the museum’s exclusive collections tour. Afterwards, the attendees filed into the Lilly Theater for the event’s career development program, presented by Samantha Martin, assistant director of the Career Services Center at Ball State University.

Martin emphasized the power of storytelling, an uncommon notion in most professional development talks. She understands that networking is not easy, and often young professionals are not sure how to approach situations where they’re asked the dreaded, “Tell me about yourself.” That …

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Interns and internship supervisors from organizations throughout central Indiana are invited to events at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis (May 31), Fountain Square Theatre Rooftop Garden (June 1), Indianapolis Zoo (July 10), Indiana State Fair (August 3) and meet@TheChallenge (August 23). Each will offer professional development and networking opportunities in addition to time to explore the venues and have fun.

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis event will begin at 9 a.m. with an interactive workshop. Prior to that, check-in will be held at 8:30 a.m., and interns will be invited to participate in a networking game. Following the workshop, attendees will be free to explore The Children’s Museum until it closes at 5 p.m. Guests will have access to The Riley Children’s Health Sports Legends Experience. Lunch will not be provided, but attendees may bring their own or purchase at the museum. Capacity is limited and online registration is …

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With the focus in colleges and high schools becoming more internship-based, it’s important to recognize the hard work and dedication that goes into being an intern and having a successful internship program.  On Wednesday, those efforts were recognized at the 12th annual IMPACT Awards Luncheon.

Indiana INTERNnet hosts this event to recognize interns, career development professionals and employers for having an impact in the internship arena. The theme for this year’s event was “Wild About Workforce Development.”

The luncheon featured Chris Heeter, founder of The Wild Institute located in Minnesota, as the keynote speaker. Heeter detailed how important it is for employees, employers, and interns to be “wild” in the workplace and make an impact in their positions.

“Being wild is having the courage to bring the gift of all of who you are to all of what you do,” Heeter said.

Heeter also explained how important it is for …

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It’s that time of year again, career fair season! Recruiters and human resources professionals gather at colleges and universities to search for potential interns and full-time employees. While being out of the office may seem fun, attending multiple fairs a week and talking to hundreds of students can be overwhelming to even seasoned professionals. Here are some tips to help you prepare and maintain your stamina throughout the semester.

Packing and Prep Work

First, confirm you have completed registration and paid any outstanding balances. This will make the check-in process much easier. Most colleges will send reminder emails with information regarding check-in, parking, timeline, etc. Use this information to create a schedule for the day including travel and meals. Google or iPhone maps are excellent ways to plan your route!

Be sure to prepare what you’re planning to say to students. You could provide information about your company, …

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Hattie Hynes is a Recruiting/HR Marketing Intern with Milliner & Associates. She will graduate from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business in 2018.

During my sophomore year at IUPUI, I had fully intended to do homework and get through classes. In a fall business communications class, I was working on a group project with a couple of classmates when one of them, Jimmy, asked if I was going to the Indiana Means Business Career Fair. Until that point, I had had no intention of going, but I decided to go because… well, why not? I could gain experience from attending, and didn’t have anything to lose.

I walked up to a table for a company, Milliner and Associates, which I had never heard of and knew nothing about, except that they had internships. I managed to get out my elevator pitch without stumbling and Madison, the company’s representative, looked at my …

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Johnny Slivka is an HR/Business Development Intern with Milliner & Associates. He will graduate from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business this year.

On August 31st, Milliner & Associates gave me the opportunity to grow as a human resources (HR) professional by attending the HR Indiana Annual Conference. Wow, I was blown away by just the one day I was there. On that day I attended with two other co-workers who were able to guide me through the conference, as well as help lead me to the sessions that would be most beneficial. As an intern, I would have never imagined that I would be able to learn and grow as a professional by being able to attend the largest HR conference in the Midwest and one of the largest in the nation!

My first session I was able to attend was about emotional intelligence and it …

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August is slowly creeping around the corner.

Instead of being bummed out about school starting, get excited for what lies ahead! For students, this is prime-time career fair season. During the fall months as you prepare to head back to campus and get situated, it’s important to iron your blazers and dust off your networking skills.

When I was in school at Indiana University, whether I was a freshman or senior, I took advantage of career fairs every semester. I learned about job opportunities that were offered in my community and made valuable connections. A few even landed me a part-time job on campus.

Whatever you are looking for, career fairs are a great place to start. Here is a rundown of some do’s and don’ts to keep in mind:

DO:

Your research! Look at what companies are attending the career fair first and narrow your options down to maximize …

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Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Collegiate Career Expo. I experienced both sides of the table; employer and student/job seeker. This year’s event was held in the Marriott hotel in downtown Indianapolis. It’s a great venue, with delicious coffee and tea!

After registering as a student, I was given a self-adhesive name tag and a map of the different employer booths. The self-adhesive tag would eventually become my enemy. It would constantly pull my hair out and at one point it relocated itself to the back of my arm. My advice is to purchase a plastic sleeve for name badges. This way you can insert the one they give you and clip it into place.

My next piece of advice for students is to find a spot before entering the fair, if possible, and study the map of employers. In this case, there were …

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